Apparatus for laying up thread



Jan. 6, 1942. w. H. FURNESS 2,268,366

' APPARATUS FOR LAYING UP THREAD Filed May 1, 1940 .3 Shuts-Sheet l INVENTOR Jan. 651.942. w FURNESS 2,268,866

APPARATUS FOR LAYING UP THREAD Filed May 1, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W INVENTOI; 4 BY 2 ATTORNEYS Jan. 6, 1942. w, H, FURNESS 2,268,866

APPARATUS FOR' LAYING-UP THREAD Filed May 1, 1940 3 SheetS -Sheet 5 INVENTOR Patented Jan. 6, 1942 7 2,268,866 APPARATUS FOR LAYING UP Tillman William H. Furness, Haddonfleld, N. J., assignor to American Rayon Company, Inc., Riverton; N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey y Application May 1,1940, Serial No. 332,692

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a simple and effective apparatus for laying up thread, such as freshly spun rayon filaments, cotton yarns, and the like,

for treatment.

The nature, objects and advantages of my in- I vention .will appear from the following description.

Figures 1 and IA, showing the left and right hand end portions, together constitute a side elevational view of thread laying up apparatus embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an end view looking toward the left in Figure 1A; and

Figures 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illus-.

trating how cords and pulleys employed in my apparatus are arranged.

The apparatus comprises in, general a non-rotatable cage-like cylinder'A, a thread laying up whorl B at one end of the cylinder, a thread taking off whorl C at the other end of the cylinder,

clutch controller driving means D and E for the whorls B and C, and a main Support F for th apparatus.

The cage-like ,cylinder. A comprises in general asupporting structure or frame G, a plurality of pulleys H and J arranged in pairs at the ends of the frame G, a pluralityof cross-over pulleys K located intermediate of the ends of the frame G, and a plurality of thread supporting and advancing cords L arranged over the pulleys in a manner hereinafter appearing. I

The frame G is composed of end members 4 and 5, longitudinal members 5 connecting the end members, and intermediate bracing members such as indicated at I inFigure 1. j

The pairs of pulleys H are adjustably secured to the end member 6 in pairs by means of brackets 8 having transverse rods 9 on which the pulleys are rotatably mounted in spaced relation. In this instance four brackets 8, positioned at right angles to each other, are employed. The pairs similarly arranged and adiu'stably' secured to the end member 5 of the frame 'G.

The cross-overpulleys K are secured onvertically spaced shafts ill and Has viewed in Figure 1, there being two spaced pairs of pulleys l2 and IS on theshaft ,l0 and two spaced pairs of pulleys It and 15 on the shaft H. These pulleys.

frame. The shaft I9 is rotated by means of a gear wheel 2| secured thereon which meshes with the driving gear 22 of the driving means D.

Referring now to the thread supporting and advancing cords L, it will be seen that in this instance I employ four cords so arranged that eight longitudinal outer runs of cord are provided to constitute the thread supporting surfaces of the cylinder, the end pulleys over which the cords run being arranged so that the eight outer runs are disposed in evenly spaced circular arrangement around the axis of the cylinder.

In Figures 3 and 4 the arrangement of two of the cords is diagrammatically illustrated, it being pointed out that the'remaining two cords are similarly arranged. By referring to Figure 3 and starting from the point X the cord. first passes over the pulley H then over the pulley J then over the inner pulleys of the pairs of cross-over pulleys l2 and M, then over the pulley H then over the pulley J andthen over said inner crossover pulleys l2 and I4 again to the point of beginning.

By referring to Figure'4 and starting from the point Y, the cord first passes overthe pulley K, then over the pulley J then over the outer pulleys of the pairs of cross-over pulleys l2 and M, then over the pulley H then over the pulley 7 of pulleys J at the otherend of the cylinder are 7 J and then over said outer cross-over pulleys l2 and I4 again to the point of beginning.

In these figures I have indicated the direction of travel of the cords by arrows, and it is to be noted that the outer runs L L, L and L all travel in the" same direction and at the same speed," this also being the case with the outer runs of the remaining cords.

Thus I have-provided a pluralitybf thread supporting surfaces which all move in the same direction and at the same speed with the result that as the thread is whirled'onto the cylinder at the receiving end by the, whorl B, it is advanced along the cylinder so as, to lay up the thread in the form of a continuously advancing helix. In this instance the pulleys J are of smaller diameter than the pulleys H and are arranged somewhat closer to the center of the cyl-.

'lnder-so that the helix reduces in diameter to- 7 ward the thread taking off end.

- of the cylindera turn is taken off at the other The thread take oif'whorl c is rotated at the same speed as the threadlaying up whorl B so that for each turn of thread-laid up at one end 'end of the cylinder.

The cylinder A is supported at the thread receiving end by means of a pair of rollers 23, 2|

on which the rim 25 of the gear wheel 2| rides, and at the thread taking off end by means of a pair of rollers 26, 21 on which the rim 28 of the gear wheel 23 rides, it being noted that the gear 29 is rotatably mounted on the axle 30 of the cylinder A, which axle is fixedly secured to the frame G by means of supports 3! secured to said frame.

It will thus be seen that the cylinder A is supported by the rollers 23, 24, 26 and 21 peripherally of the gear wheels 2| and 28. This mounting of the cylinder is of importance becausesince the thread is laid onto one end of the stationary cylinder by means of the whorlB secured to the rotating gear wheel 2|, and is taken off the other end of the cylinder by means of the whorl C secured to the gear wheel 29, the mounting means must be so arranged that there will be no interference with, or obstruction in the path of the whirling run of thread leading to and away from the rotating whorls.

The thread T is led from a suitable source, such as'a spinneret, to the cylinder A by first being passed through a fixed guide 32 located in spaced coaxial relation to the end of the cylinder, then through a slot '33 at the periphery of the gear wheel 2|, then through the whorl B and finally,

. to the cylinder. In initially starting the laying up of a run of thread on the cylinder, the endv thereof is merely laid onto the supporting cords of the cylinder preferably by wrapping it around the cylinder one or two turns, and when this end has been advanced to the take-oil end of the cylinder it is threaded through the take-off whorl C, then through a slot 34 at the periphery ing this operation of laying up a new run of thread on the cylinder the clutch of the driving means Dis engaged to cause rotation ofthe whorl B and the clutch of the driving means E isdisengaged so that the take-ofl whorl C remains stationary to facilitate passing the thread through it and the guides which lead to the thread receiving device. When the feed of thread is cut ofl to complete a particular run, the clutch of the driving device D may be disengaged while the clutch of the driving device E remains engaged to take-off the thread which is on the cylinder A. a

In order to positively hold the cylinderagainst rotation and yet not interfere with the whirling thread I have provided a holding device S at one end of the cylinder, in this instance at the thread take-oi! end. This device comprises a reciprocable diametral bar 36 mounted in a guide 37 which is secured to the non-rotatable axle of the cylinder, fixed supports 38 and 39 located at the end of the bar 33 and having slots 40 and 4| respectively for receiving the bar, and an eccentric 42 for imparting reciprocatory movement to the bar. The eccentric 42 is secured to the gear wheel 23 and engages the lateral projections or lugs 43 of the bar 36 to impart the reciprocatory motion to the bar.

Referring particularly to Figure 2 it will be seen that with the eccentric in the position shown, the

bar has been moved to the left so that the left i of the gear wheel 39,-then through a fixed guide hand end portion thereof is received in the slot I of the fixed support 33, thus holding the cylinder A against rotation. In this position the opposite or right hand end of the bar has been moved clear of the flxed-support 33 to leave a gap 44 between the bar and the support, thus providing an unobstructed passageway for the 'fixed support 38 to leave a gap at 45 between the left end of the bar and the support 38, thus providing an unobstructed passageway for the rotating run of thread T It will be seen from the foregoing that by means of this alternate engagement of the bar 36 with the supports 38 and 39 the cylinder A is at all times positively held against rotation while at the same time providing for unobstructed rotation of the whirling run of thread.

As I have thus far described my invention, the

-thread is laid up so that the helix of thread is snugly laid on the cage, this being useful for some purposes in the manufacture of cuproammonium rayon in which the freshly spun filaments are laid up on the cage for treatment such as acid washing, water washing and drying.

7 However, in some cases it is desirable to lay the thread on the cage somewhat loosely so that the successive turns hang as loops, so to speak, the upper portions of the turns being supported and advanced by thethread advancing means of the cage and the lower portions hanging loose. This is particularly useful where it is desired-to allow. the thread to freely shrink for example.

Whether or not the thread is wound snugly on the cage and under tension, or loosely, depends uponthe tension on the thread being led to and whirled upon the cage. Fo'r instance, in the spinning of cuproammonium rayon, the freshly spun filaments, after leaving. the setting bath, are

passed over a resistance device such as a Godet wheel or wheels (not shown), located intermediate the setting bath and the whorl. Thus, tension may be put on the thread, and the amount of tension determines whether or not the helix is snugly or loosely laid up on the cage.

Furthermore, while I have in this instance shown thread supporting and advancing members in the form of cords or cables, the above advantages may be obtained in other non-rotat ing cages having provision for supporting and advancing the thread in the form of a helix. For example, the supporting and advancing members could be in the form of movable relatively non-flexing bars such as shown in my copending application, Serial No. 332,693, filed May 1, 1940.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for laying up thread in the form of a continuously advancing helix, comprising a non-rotatable support, a thread guide adjacent one end of said support, means for rotating said guide around said support to lay thread on said support, means for moving said thread along said support as it is being laid thereon so as to provide a continuously advancing helix of thread on said support, a thread guide adjacent theother during drying,

" threadis avoided.

, greases thread on said support adjacent one "end thereof to be advanced to the other end, a whorl for taking thread of! said support adjacent said other end, and means for rotating said whorls at one to, one ratio, said support having thread support- "ing surfaces movable in one direction of the length of said support to advance the thread -being laid thereon in the form of a continuously advancing helix. 1 J

.31 Apparatus for laying up thread in the form of a continuously advancing helix, comprising a non-rotatable cage having a plurality of thread supporting surfaces in the form of longitudinally I extending circumferentially spaced cords, pulleys over which said cords are guided so that outer runs thereof constitute said supporting surfaces.

means for driving saidcords with said outer runs all moving at the same rate of speed and in the same direction lengthwise of said-cylinder, a

whorl for laying thread on said supporting surface. adjacent one end thereof to be advanced to the other end, a whorl for taking thread oi! said supporting .surfaceadjacent said other end, and

means for rotating said whorls at one to one ratio;

4. Apparatus for laying uptl iread in the form of a continuously advancing helix, comprising a cage-like cylinder having-thread supporting surface movable in one direction of the length'of said cylinder, a whorl for laying thread on said cylinder adjacent one'end thereof to be advanced to the other end, a driven wheel to which said whorl is secured for rotation therewith, a whorl for taking thread oil. said cylinder adjacent said.

' other end, a driven wheel to which said'last mentioned whorl is secured to rotate therewith,

. means for driving said wheels at one to one ratio,

means for concentrically mounting said cage-like cylinder with said wheels, means for supporting said wheels adjacent their peripheries, and means for preventing rotation of said cage-like cylinder.

5. Apparatus for laying .up'thread in the form cage-like cylinder having'thread supporting surface movable in one directionofthe. length of said cylinder, a whorl for laying thread on said cylinder adjacent one end thereof to be advanced to the other end, a driving wheel to which said 'whorl is secured for rotation therewith, awhorl for taking thread of! said cylinder adjacent said other end, a driven wheel to which said last men:-

tioned whorl is secured to rotate therewith, means with the whorl rotating means at one end of said Q cylinder for holding said cylinder against rotation, said means comprising flxedbracket means, a movable member and means for imparting lmovement to said moyable'memher to clear the run of thread between the thread guide and the whorl as it rotates while maintaining said movable member in engagement with the fixed bracket means.

'7. In apparatus for laying-up thread in theform of a continuously advancing helix, a nonrotating'cage-iike cylinder comprising a plurality :of longitudinally extending circumferentially spaced cords constituting the thread supporting surface thereof, means for guiding and moving said cords-at uniform speed in .one direction lengthwise of the cylinder, mounting means for saidcylinder, a thread laying up whorl adiacent one end of said cylinder, a thread taking off whorl adjacent the other end of said cylinder,- means 'forrotating sald' whorls at one to one. ratio, a thread guide coaxial with the axis of.

rotation of said laying up whorl from which the thread is led to said whorl, a thread guide coaxial with the axis of rotation of said taking off of a continuously advancing helix, comprising a whorl through which the thread being taken-off the cylinder by the whorl is led, and means associated with the whorl rotating means at one M of 'said cylinder for holding said cylinder against rotation, said means comprising a bar mounted on the cylinder crosswise thereof for reciprocation back and forth, a fixed member located .at

each end of said bar, means for reciprocating i said bar toalternately engage .said flxed membersand to provide a gap at the-member not being engaged for the :e of the rotating run of thread from the guide to the whorl.

8. In apparatus forvlaying up in theform of 'a continuously advancing helix, a nonrotating cage-like cylinder comprising a plurality of longitudinally cords constituting the thread supporting surface thereof, means for guiding and moving said cords at uniform speedin one direction .for driving said .wheels ,at one. to one ratio, means .for concentrically' unting said cage-like cylinder with said ,wheels, means for supporting said wheels adjacent their peripheries, and means for preventing rotation of said cage-like cylinder,- said last mentioned means including a reciproeating barmounted at one end of said cylinder crosswise thereof,'iixed members at the ends of said bar, means for reciprocating saidfbar to;

alternately engage. said fixed members and to alternately provide gaps between said bar and -flxed members ,whereby interference with the 6. In apparatus for laying up thread in the form of a continuously. advancing helix, a non-' rotating cage-like cylinder comprising a plurality ob longitudinally extending 'circumferehtially' spaced cords constituting the thread supporting surface, thereof, means for guiding and mo the cylinder, mounting means for said cylinder, 'a-thread laying up whorl adjacent one end of said cylinder, a thread taking'oif virig said cords at uniform speeddn one direction' lengthwise of lengthwise of the cylinder, mounting means for said cylinder, a thread laying up whorl adjacent dire end of said cylinder, a threadtaking o'if whorl 7 adjacent the other end of said cylinder, means for rotating said .whorls at one to one ratio a thread guide coaxial-with the axis of rotation of said'laying up whorl from which: thethread is led to said whorl, a thread guide coaxial with ,d

the axis of rotation of said taking ofl whorl through which the thread being taken of! the cylinder by the whorl is led, and means associated with the whorl rotating means at one end of said cylinder for holding said cylinder against rotation, said means comprising a diametral bar mounted on the cylinder for reciprocation back and forth, a fixed membenat one "end of said bar,

. a diametrically opposed fixed member at the other end of said bar, and means for reciprocating said bar to alternately engage said members and to provide a gap at the member not being en-' gaged for the passage of the rotating run of A thread from the guide to the whorl. 9.In apparatus for laying up thread in th form of 'a continuously advancing helix, a noncircumferentially I, Y

rotating cage-like cylinder comprising a plurality of cords. pulleys over which said cords are run, said pulleys being arranged to provide a plurality of longitudinally extending .circumi'erentially spaced outer runs of the cords constituting the thread supporting surface-of said cylinder, means for driving said -cords with said outer runs all traveling at the same speed and in the same direction', supporting structure on whicli said p'ulleys and cord driving means are mounted, axle means projecting beyond each end of said cylinder, a driven gear, wheel at each end or said cylinder mounted on said axle means, rollerson which the rims of saidgears ride to give peripheral support to said cylinder, a thread laying up whorl carried by the gear wheel at one end 01' said cylinder, a thread guide fixedly positioned beyond said last mentioned gear wheel coaxially therewith through which thread from asource of supply is lead to said laying up whorl; a thread taking oi! whorl carried by the gear wheel at the other end of said cylinder, a thread guide fixedly positioned beyond said last mentioned gear wheel eoaxially therewith through which the thread from the taking oil whorl is led, means for driving said driven gear wheels at one to one ratio, and means fixing said cylinder against rotation comprising fixed bracket means at one end of the cylinder, a movable member engaging said bracket means, said member being carried by the axle at said end or the cylinder, and means for moving said member'to positions 'of noninterierence with the whirling run 01 thread between the thread guide and whorl at said end of the cylinder while being maintained in engagement with said fixed bracket means. 

